We’re always happy to talk to you if you have any questions or queries regarding our services, but you may find the answers you need among our Frequently Asked Questions. If you still need help, please call our friendly team at any time.

How soon after the death should the funeral directors be contacted?

It’s not unusual for families to contact us before someone has passed away, when they are looking after someone on end-of-life care. Sometimes it is just for reassurance, or so that we are ready for when the time comes. When someone has passed away, it’s always a good idea to call us as soon as possible so we can begin making arrangements.

What times are you available if we have a question?

We answer our phone 24 hours a day, no matter what we are doing. We would rather you call us at 3am and then get a good night’s sleep, rather than waiting until 10am and being up all night worrying about something. We’re here to support you, no matter what time it is.

Will we need a death certificate before the funeral can be arranged?

No. You don’t need to wait for the doctor, death certificate, registrar or the coroner before making arrangements. We’re experienced and we’re professional in our approach to how we arrange funerals. We work to realistic timelines to ensure that a funeral can be completed in a timely manner. This is usually within two weeks of someone passing away. If we waited for death certificates before we began making the arrangements, this would probably extend to over three weeks.

How much does a funeral cost?

We can offer a direct cremation service, like you may have seen on TV with the likes of Pure and Simplicita, for £1200 (inclusive of all fees). We can offer a simple attended funeral, again fully inclusive of all fees (doctors, cremation, celebrant fees), for £2600. For a traditional funeral service that may include things like flowers, an order of service, newspaper notices, a limousine etc, you should expect a total cost of approximately £3500 to £4000.

Do you confirm the full cost of the funeral before we go ahead?

With every funeral we always provide a full breakdown of all costs in the form of a written quote. Everything is transparent. We give a quote, rather than an estimate, because estimates are open to interpretation and open for unagreed price increases. We provide quotes that are accurate to everything we have agreed upon.

We would like to tour your facility before we make a decision on whether you should be our funeral directors.

We welcome this. Our funeral home is new, modern and has been designed to be practical, as well as welcoming. We are happy to show you behind the scenes, where your loved one will be cared for. We are happy for you to ask questions, see our standards of hygiene and see how we operate. Everything takes place under one roof, at Antrobus Street in Congleton.

We have seen reviews on Google and Facebook – how do we know they are real?

When comparing reviews with other funeral directors, you should always ask how real the reviews are. All our reviews are from our genuine clients, they can usually be cross checked and referenced with notices placed on Funeral Notices, or our online obituaries. You can see our reviews are personal and written from the heart. We are always humbled when we receive nice comments from our families.

Are you members of any trade associations?

Yes. We are proud members of the National Association of Funeral Directors. This guarantees that we have met the very highest quality standard levels and shown excellent professionalism in the way we operate our service.

Do you have a private Chapel of Rest?

We have private chapels of rest at both our funeral homes in Congleton and Crewe. They are both sound insulated and air conditioned. They were designed to give each client privacy and a time to say ‘goodbye’.

Does a funeral service have to be a religious ceremony?

Over the last few years, religion has become less important in many funeral services, although we still look after religious ceremonies and enjoy being part of them. Some funerals tend to be more celebrations of life, and feature happy music rather than hymns. Our celebrants will still recite the Lord’s Prayer if it’s what a family wants, but there is no requirement for any service to be religious or to mention God.

Can our loved one be dressed in their own clothing?

Definitely! If you are coming to visit your loved one in our chapel of rest, then we encourage that they be dressed in their own clothes. It doesn’t have to be Sunday best either. If someone was happiest in shorts and a t-shirt – or even pyjamas and a dressing gown – then that’s great. If you would like to assist us in dressing your loved one, then we welcome that too. For some families, it’s what they want to do, to pay their respects and to help say goodbye.

What is embalming?

Embalming is sometimes called “Hygienic Treatment” by other funeral directors. The embalming process slows down the effects of decomposition and restores a more natural appearance to the body. It rehydrates the tissues and prevents the darkening of fingertips and lips. If you are visiting your loved one in our chapel of rest, we want that experience to be one that is remembered for the right reasons. So we would always recommend embalming, but we never push it on families that really don’t want it.

Can we put personal items in the coffin?

Yes. You can place letters, pictures and flowers in a coffin. We have even placed the ashes of former pets in with the deceased! We have to be a little careful when the service is going to be a cremation, as we cannot put anything glass within the coffin. We will remove glasses from a loved one just before we leave for the funeral. With a burial, there are no restrictions.

Can we choose a personalised coffin?

We always include a traditional English Oak laminate coffin with all our funeral services, and at no charge to the family. However, if you want something a little more personalised, we can help. We can provide coffins made of wicker or even wool. We can paint coffins, we can make them shine and shimmer with glitter, we can engrave them with pictures, names and just about anything else you can think of. We can even personalise the interior lining for a truly personal tribute.

Could we have a themed funeral for our loved one?

A funeral is a representation of a person’s life, so shouldn’t that be what we do? We love dressing up, we love services that are out of the ordinary and we love getting involved. If it’s physically possible, then we will do it! You could even argue that, because we try to make every funeral personal, every single service we’re involved with is to some extent themed.

Can we use our own florist for funeral flowers?

We always ask whether you have your own preferred florist, or if you would like us to arrange flowers on your behalf. If you’d like to arrange flowers yourself, but don’t have a florist, we will give you details of a couple of local florists that we happily recommend. If you don’t want to have flowers, then this is also okay. It’s important to remember that there is no obligation.

What happens to the ashes after the funeral?

Unless the family has requested the ashes be scattered at the crematorium, we usually return the ashes back to the family just a few days after the service. What happens next is entirely up to you. You can keep them, you can scatter them, or you can have them buried in a local cemetery. If you need our help with arranging the burial of ashes, purchasing the grave site, or adding a memorial stone, then we’re more than happy to assist you.

We have a funeral plan with another company – can we use it with you instead?

This is a question we get asked a lot. The answer is yes. No matter where you took out your funeral plan, it is your money and it’s up to you where you spend it. Some funeral plans are easy to transfer over to us, others have to be surrendered and cashed in. If someone who holds a plan has already passed away and you want to use us for the arrangements, then again this should not be an issue. Our advice is to give us a call and let us look at how we can help you.

What’s the difference between a family run service and a large corporate chain?

Our service is owned and run by Abi Larvin and Jason Clegg. We are a family, and we always try to place ourselves in the position of your family. What would our family want, how would we want to be treated, how would we expect a deceased member of our family to be treated? With this in mind, we always go the extra mile to ensure you as a family are treated with respect, with honesty and with integrity. This is not our job, this is our day-to-day life. We have to make a living, but making money isn’t our priority. We believe in being fair and transparent. These are all qualities which you simply don’t get outside of a family service.